Parents Information
We are committed to protecting the children in our care and offering equal opportunities for all. We provide a safe and motivating environment in which your child can develop and grow at their own pace.
We offer a homely environment which encourages a relaxed transition from family to nursery life, with a wide range of home-made natural resources.
A key worker system supporting parents and child throughout their fun and stimulating journey to school life.
Because children learn best when having fun, we encourage them to learn through play which is a great way to gain access to the Early Years Childcare Curriculum.
As our babies develop into toddlers they begin to challenge their physical development and there’s plenty of time for rhyme time, water play, singing and the exciting activities we offer to comply with the EYFS statutory framework. Here the Early Years team focuses on communication and early language, literacy and numeracy skills. We very much see ourselves as a community nursery and we make sure that the children are exposed to their surroundings and the world around them. We enjoy weekly visits to the nearby parks and trips to the local areas of interest to consolidate learning themes.
Parents as Partners
We believe in working with parents as partners, as parents are their child’s first and most significant educators. We maintain strong links with parents and hold regular parents’ evenings, as well as being available throughout the day, to discuss any aspects of a child’s nursery experience.
Healthy bodies and healthy eating means healthy minds
We ensure that all children are provided with a varied and healthy diet that contains the correct balance of nutrients to aid their growth and development.
All food is cooked fresh on site in order to provide children their recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. We are mindful of dietary requirements with vegetarian, nut, wheat and milk free options available for our little ones who require or prefer them.
We always help children to practice good table manners. They use cutlery, serve themselves from serving dishes and scrape their own plates clean when they have finished. We encourage them to wait patiently before they begin, eat with their mouths closed, and no elbows on the table!
Our Staff
Our fully trained staff are continually encouraged and supported to develop their skills through training and higher qualifications right up to Early Years Teacher Status. We take great pride in our team who all haven one thing in common – a love and passion for childcare.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Our curriculum follows the Early Years Foundation Stage, a framework set out by the Department of Education, which recognises the overall nature of development and learning of children from birth to 5 years old.
There is an emphasis on children learning through interaction with people and exploring the world around them. EYFS identifies the individuality, efforts and achievements of children and recognises that learning and development take place during each different activity, encouraging them to be lifelong learners and allowing them to develop to their full potential.
Care and Education is offered within the following Age Ranges:
6 – 12 MONTHS
A homely atmosphere helps young babies settle into nursery life. Babies are treated as individuals and a key person ensures that all babies are provided with warmth and security of care ensuring their basic needs are met.
1 – 2 YEARS
A large variety of activities help the ever inquisitive toddler to develop independence, social and communication skills and to develop strong muscles and co-ordination through physical play.
2 – 3 YEARS
A well planned environment means that children can play with a wide range of resources and take part in well planned activities and experiences which will enable them to continue to develop social skills in turn taking, co-operation and how to communicate with adults and their peers. They will have access to a range of activities to encourage their creative skills and imagination.
3 – 5 YEARS
The continuous provision areas ensure children’s free choice of activity within a structured learning environment. They can continually access these areas in order to develop, practice, repeat and refine skills in their own time. Carefully planned resources offer the chance to experiment, observe and explore their surroundings and enables the children to discover information for themselves. Parent partnership is strong and children’s interests are used all across the setting to plan exciting activities making sure learning is fun. Through the seven learning areas, children will be supported in reaching their full potential and achieving the stepping stones, giving each child a wide range of experiences and knowledge to draw upon when they enter school.
When a child is ready to move onto school (or a new setting) information is gathered about the children and shared with parents and the school in order to make transitions easy and for the children. Teachers are invited into our setting to visit the children.
First and foremost we want your children to be happy in our Nursery and hope that during their time with us their development will make the transition to school an enjoyable one.
OFSTED
Ofsted is the Government regulator responsible for ensuring all nurseries in the U.K. meet certain stringent standards such as ratios of staff to children, first aid trained members and the acceptable number of qualified staff.
Regular thorough inspections are carried out by specially trained professionals to make sure these standards continue to be met. We are registered with OFSTED under the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and their registration certificate and details are displayed in our reception areas.
Our aim is to not only meet these standards in our day to day running of the nursery but surpass them and strive to go that extra mile. Please see our most recent Ofsted report.
Settling In
When a child is accepted by the nursery, arrangements will be made for a visit so that the child can familiarise themselves with the nursery. The nursery staff will work in partnership with parents / carers to settle the child into the nursery environment.
Our aim is to: ensure that all children new to the nursery feel settled and happy in the environment and that parents/carers are comfortable with regards to leaving them.
As a parent, one of the hardest days of your life is the day when you leave your child in Nursery for the first time.
Suddenly, they have a whole little life away from you, and it’s a difficult thing to get used to. Even if you’re 100 per cent certain that you’ve chosen the very best place for them, entrusting your most treasured possession to someone else’s care is a big and scary step!
Our Procedure
- On your first visit to Nursery, parents will visit the nursery with your little one and be asked to complete an All About Me Form. During this visit, we will sit with you and complete the “My Starting Points” as well as all the other required paperwork for your nursery admission. Your little one can then feel safe and explore in the knowledge that you are around if they need.
- During your second settling in visit we encourage you to leave your child for a short period so that both you and the child can get accustomed to the new journey they are starting. This will also help them get used to you dropping them off and picking them up again. We appreciate that some decisions are made last minute and visits prior to start date cannot therefore be arranged. We will do all we can to support your child by getting as much information from you as possible about what they like and don’t like so we can encourage them to play and give them happy and positive experiences from day one.
- Parents are encouraged to telephone the nursery or call into the nursery as many times as they wish to check on their child. If telephoning, please be aware that it is not always possible to answer the telephone immediately. However, if you leave a message and wish us to call you back please do so.
Need help with your childcare fees?
Here are a few handy tips about how you can get help with your childcare fees.
Access childcare support through the childcare service
Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours childcare are two separate government schemes, to help parents with the cost of childcare. You can apply for both through one online application – the childcare service.
Apply now for childcare support
Childcare Choices
The government has introduced new ways to help parents with childcare costs.
https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
Early Education Entitlement
Early Education Entitlement is effectively free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds funded by the government. We are registered to received the Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) which is available to all children over the age of 3 and covers the cost of 15 hours of pre school education per week during term time – we will be happy to provide more information on this funding when you visit the nursery. We also accept childcare vouchers as forms of payment.